The present invention pertains to security systems and in particular to a marine vessel monitoring and control system.
Current consumer demand for mobility in lifestyle and vacations has resulted in an increased popularity in boating. However, most of the time, valuable boats are left unattended on moorings or at docks leaving absentee boatowners to worry about the security of their unattended property. Absentee boatowners are also concerned about the vulnerability of their boats to the elements and the malfunctioning of on-board equipment. This has created a substantial need for reliable, effective and affordable boat monitoring systems which provide absentee boatowners with periodic reports on the condition of their unattended boats. Accordingly, a number of marine vessel monitoring systems have been developed.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,777,551, 5,850,180 and 6,049,273 to Hess each disclose a boat monitoring system that monitors for instances of unauthorized entry and fire. When a fire is sensed by a smoke detector or unauthorized entry is sensed by intruder sensors, a signal is sent to an on-board microcontroller which sounds a high decibel alarm and which initiates a wireless telephone. However, this monitoring system requires an AC power supply for operation, which is not readily available to unattended boats on moorings and accordingly is not suitable for continuous monitoring of vessels. Also, the monitoring system disclosed by Hess does not allow a boatowner to directly prevent potentially catastrophic damage caused by other types of hazardous boat conditions.
One particularly hazardous boat condition that can give rise to substantial boat damage relates to a boat""s bilge pump system. Bilge pump systems are critical to the maintenance of the proper level of the boat within a body of water and include a water pump, a floating device to determine water level and a power source such as a battery. If the fuse is blown or the battery level is low, then a high water level can occur in the bilge causing substantial damage to the operation of the boat. In addition, many bilge pump systems include a bilge pump circuit breaker which can be inadvertently turned off, which can also result in substantial damage to the boat. If bilge pump conditions such as a blown fuse or low battery level can be detected in advance, then hazardous high water levels can be prevented.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,319,698 to Glidewell discloses a marine monitoring system which detects an unauthorized intrusion or a hazardous condition such as a high water level in the boat. When a hazardous condition is sensed, the system places a call to a local security station. However, the system requires the availability of an AC power source which is not available to unattended boats on moorings. Also, the system does not allow for preventative monitoring of a hazardous condition before it becomes critical or otherwise provide the user with the ability to directly intervene and reinstitute bilge pump function.
Accordingly, there is a need for a remote marine vessel monitoring system and method that allows a boatowner to monitor various on-board conditions associated with their unattended boat, which provides a boatowner with the ability to influence the operation of on-board equipment in response to hazardous events, which uses intelligent sensing to predict and avert potentially hazardous conditions.
The present invention provides a method for remotely monitoring and controlling the operation of a boat over a communication network, said method comprising the steps of:
(a) detecting a warning condition on the boat;
(b) transmitting the warning condition to the user over a communication network;
(c) receiving the warning condition over the communication network and transmitting a user command in response; and
(d) operating the boat according to the user command.
In another aspect, the present invention is a system for monitoring and controlling the operation of a boat, said system comprising:
(a) a communication network;
(b) a detector coupled to the boat for detecting a warning condition;
(c) a first transceiver coupled to the detector and to the communication network for transmitting the warning condition over the communication network;
(d) a second transceiver coupled to the communication network for receiving the warning condition from the first transceiver and for transmitting a user command to the first transceiver; and
(e) a controller coupled to said first transceiver and to the boat for affecting the operation of the boat in accordance with the user command.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description, taken together with the accompanying drawings.